Advance Care Planning

Published On 06/28/2013

No matter your age or state of health, it’s important to decide now about the medical care you would want if you become critically ill or reach the end of life. Although it’s a difficult subject, specifying the treatments you do or don’t want will help guide your doctors and ease the stress on your family. We can help you through these decisions.

Advance Directives

Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to communicate your healthcare decisions to family, friends and healthcare professionals should you become unable to express them. Our chaplains can provide you with materials and counseling.

Your nurse can page the chaplain for you, or you can get started by reviewing the Five Wishes system online. The videos below also describe the benefits of advance directives.

Organ and Tissue Donation

Being an organ or tissue donor is a generous and life-saving decision. If a patient should become a candidate for organ donation, we are required by law to notify the family. We are committed to honoring our patients' wishes first and foremost.

If you have general questions about organ and tissue donation, please talk to your nurse.

Ethical Advisory Committee

The Ethical Advisory Committee can help address conflicts about your care and end-of-life issues. The committee is made up of physicians, nurses, chaplains and other support staff. It is available 24 hours a day.

The consultation may be initiated by the medical team, patient or family. An ethics committee consultation does not interfere with the decision-making relationship between physicians and patients and family, but it can bring more understanding to the decision-making process.

Please contact your nurse with any questions about the Ethics Advisory Committee or to arrange a meeting with a committee member.